womanly
womanly Lexical Profile
womanly Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having or showing qualities, grace, or maturity traditionally associated with an adult woman.
"She handled the crisis with a calm, womanly dignity that reassured everyone in the room."
Having the fully developed physical figure or curves of a mature woman, as opposed to that of a young girl.
"The vintage evening gown was tailored to accentuate a classic, womanly silhouette."
• adverb
In a manner characteristic of or befitting an adult woman (now rare or archaic).
"In the nineteenth-century novel, the heroine is praised for bearing her hardships womanly and without complaint."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Womanly' generally carries positive or admiring connotations of maturity, warmth, or physical fullness, whereas 'womanish' is typically derogatory (especially when applied to men), and 'feminine' is a broader, more neutral term.
• Rhymes for womanly
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'wimmanli', formed from Old English 'wifmann' (woman) and the adjectival suffix '-lic' (-ly).